Rupert Christiansen questions whether the Arts Council should continue to fund
performances that play to theatres with half-empty audiences

Last week I attended and enjoyed performances of opera and ballet, one in Leeds and one in Southampton. In both cases, the productions were of a very high order, presenting world-class talent at prices that compare favourably to those of major sporting events. In both cases, despite attractive marketing, the theatres were half empty (and I suspect in one case that many seats had been given away to “paper” the house).

This is a worrying phenomenon, repeated throughout the country at present: in some places, it’s feeling as though the bottom has fallen out of the box office.

Such performances are subsidised by the Arts Council, itself financed by a grant from the taxpayer. At what point does public demand become so low that this can no longer be justified, especially at a time when wonderful opera and ballet from all over the world can be relayed live in HD to cinemas at no cost to the Exchequer?

This is a question that must be openly debated, and the organisations involved must not attempt to massage or obscure the true figures: there is too much at stake for pussyfooting around the issues.